Photographs by Jesse Saucedo
On July 17, 2016, the Baseball Reliquary hosted its 18th Annual Shrine of the Eternals Induction Day at the Pasadena Central Library’s Donald R. Wright Auditorium. We are pleased to share this gallery of photographs by Jesse Saucedo, which provides a visual overview of the festivities.
Over 200 Reliquarians were in attendance, many wearing the caps, jerseys, and colors of their favorite teams.
As always, the ceremony begins with a bell ringing in tribute to Hilda Chester, perhaps the most famous fan in baseball history, and definitely the game’s greatest percussionist. In the photo at left, longtime Reliquarian Joel Amromin rings a most impressive old bell which was originally used on a train.
LEFT: Jay Spears, a Los Angeles-based singer-songwriter, performs his renditions of the National Anthem (which he calls the “Star-Spangled Rag”) and “Take Me Out to the Ball Game.” Spears has released three albums and is the recipient of the 2014 ASCAP Plus Award, which honors writers for distinguished work in the fields of symphonic and concert music, jazz, and musical theater. RIGHT: After being introduced by master of ceremonies Terry Cannon as a living folk hero, Tom Derry, founder of the Navin Field Grounds Crew, offers his remarks upon receiving the 2016 Hilda Award. Cannon referred to the Hilda as the Reliquarians’ equivalent of the Oscar or the Emmy, adding that the award “acknowledges our royalty, symbolizes the best aspects of fandom, and celebrates the myriad ways in which we exhibit our love affair with the national pastime.”
Master of ceremonies Terry Cannon unveils the Hilda Award, an old cowbell encased and mounted in Plexiglas and bearing an engraved description and name of the recipient.
LEFT: A photojournalist, writer, and scholar, Neftalie Williams offers his remarks upon receiving the 2016 Tony Salin Memorial Award. Williams is bringing a new level of understanding to racial dynamics in America as the Research and Development Director for the African-American Experience in Major League Baseball oral history project, an initiative of the Annenberg Institute of Sports, Media and Society at the University of Southern California: RIGHT: The Tony Salin Memorial Award, which recognizes individuals for their commitment to the preservation of baseball history, is an old baseball encased and mounted in Plexiglas and bearing an engraved description and name of the recipient.
LEFT: One of the most eagerly anticipated speeches at the Shrine of the Eternals Induction Day is the Keynote Address, which was delivered by Michael Fallon, a writer based in the Twin Cities of Minnesota and author of Dodgerland: Decadent Los Angeles and the 1977-78 Dodgers. RIGHT: Mark Langill, the Team Historian of the Los Angeles Dodgers and a member of the club’s front office since 1994, introduces and accepts the induction of Don Newcombe on his behalf.
LEFT: Bo Jackson’s induction into the Shrine of the Eternals is introduced and accepted by Steve Springer, who covered the multi-sport athlete during his playing career in Los Angeles. Springer has been an award-winning sportswriter for over four decades, including 25 years with the Los Angeles Times. RIGHT: A native New Yorker who now lives and writes in Laguna Beach, Jean Hastings Ardell introduces the induction of Arnold Hano, whom she first met at a baseball authors’ forum at Barnes & Noble in Costa Mesa, California. Ardell is the author of the seminal book Breaking into Baseball: Women and the National Pastime and is co-author of a forthcoming book with pitcher and 2003 Shrine of the Eternals inductee Ila Borders, entitled Making My Pitch: A Woman’s Baseball Odyssey.
Arnold Hano accepts his induction as the 54th member of the Baseball Reliquary’s Shrine of the Eternals.
LEFT: Hilda recipient Tom Derry, Shrine inductee Arnold Hano, and Tony Salin Memorial Award recipient Neftalie Williams pose with their hardware. RIGHT: Kim Shuck and Doug Salin, attending the festivities from their home in San Francisco, with Neftalie Williams.
